Kerning City Murders
by TheKaizoku
Summary: When a string of murders hit Kerning City, home of the Thieves, they are forced to investigate and stop the killer. The investigation is led by Night Lord Wen, a close subordinate of the Dark Lord. Unfortunately, things are not what it seems like. One-shot.


Night Lord Wen was one of Dark Lord Jin's most trusted subordinates. Having adopted Wen when he was a mere orphan, the Dark Lord spent years training and raising him to become one of the finest Night Lords the world had ever seen. In return, Wen pledged loyalty to the Dark Lord and helped him in his duties.

The sun appeared in the horizon of Kerning City, an urban, ugly city on Victoria Island, the home of the Thieves of Maple World. The Dark Lord received word that a Thief had been murdered in the night and ordered Wen to investigate.

He had an Ilbi throwing star in his stomach. Upon closer inspection of the star, Wen discovered that the Ilbi had been poisoned, hence the wound was able to kill the unfortunate Bandit.

"Interesting, an Ilbi throwing star," Night Lord Wen remarked. "The killer must be pretty well-off, then."

A Hermit, who had been guarding the scene before Night Lord Wen arrived, said, "What will the Dark Lord do about this, sir?"

"Not entirely sure. I will bring this piece of evidence back to him and let him decide on the next course of action," Wen answered.

Surveying the piece of evidence Wen had presented him, the Dark Lord declared, "I want all the recruits quarantined. The other Thieves will be very afraid of their safety. Their safety is our utmost priority."

Following the Dark Lord's orders, Wen placed the recruit Thieves on quarantine, forbidding them to leave the Jazz Bar unless accompanied by a high-ranking member.

However, that was not enough to stop the killer. That very night, the killer struck again.

A Chief Bandit stood atop the iconic crane of Kerning City, watching the dark city below him. His sharp eyes were sweeping around the streets and alleyways, making sure that the killer did not claim a second man.

Footsteps were heard behind him. They were soft enough for an ordinary Thief not to hear it, but he was a Chief Bandit, not a measly little Thief.

Swinging around, the Chief Bandit performed a deadly Phase Dash, rushing towards the person trying to sneak up on him. But the person leapt into the air, dodging the Phase Dash. While in the air, the person created a Shadow Web, entangling the Chief Bandit and rendering him immobile.

"You are the one who killed that Thief, didn't you?" the Chief Bandit spat. "The Dark Lord will hunt you down, traitor, and make you suffer!"

Rolling his eyes, the killer threw an exploding shuriken at the Chief Bandit, causing the Shadow Web to disappear and throwing him off the crane.

Dawn arrived and several civilians were shocked to find a dead, charred body in the middle of the path. The Thieves were quickly summoned to investigate.

"Looks like the work of a Shuriken Burst," Wen muttered as he took the Ilbi throwing star from the Chief Bandit's chest. "Killed by the same man who murdered that Thief, it seems."

Another Chief Bandit walked up to Wen and informed, "Sir, my comrade here was on guard on top of the crane last light. We think that it's where the Shuriken Burst was delivered."

"The crane, you say?" Wen raised an eyebrow. "Let's go there, then. There might be clues."

On the crane, the search party found a piece of paper held down to the crane itself by another Ilbi throwing star. Taking the paper, Wen read its contents.

"Tonight, the Thieves shall experience our wrath!" Wen read. At the bottom right of the piece of paper was a Black Mage-esque symbol.

Believing that an attack was imminent, Dark Lord Jin prepared defences, outfitting the Jazz Bar, headquarters of the Thieves, with skills and charms. Civilians were forced to seek shelter, and thief patrols were out to make sure that no civilians were outside. It would be disastrous if civilians were to get caught in the firefight between them and the killer and his allies.

That night, the Thieves stood vigilant, ready to fight the enemy. However, they did not expect the enemy to be one of them.

A dozen or so Assassins and Bandits suddenly went rogue, attacking their comrades. They were distinguished by their red, lifeless eyes, which made them seem like robots.

While the Thieves were occupied by the infighting, a small group of Thieves marched towards the Jazz Bar, ready to attack it. They were all members of the patrol team sent out to ensure the civilians' safety. The attackers were being led by a masked man whose identity was unknown.

Dark Lord Jin, flanked by a Night Lord and Shadower, went to see what was going on. He froze when he saw the man leading the attackers.

"The…the aura is unmistakable! It is that…that of Night Lord Wen's!" the Dark Lord stammered.

Night Lord Wen smirked as he removed his mask, throwing it on the ground. "Do you not see, Dark Lord? The Black Mage himself has come to save all of us from destruction and chaos! The truth is, Jin, you and the Black Mage have the same ideals? You both know that the populace aren't able to make decisions for themselves, and require someone to control and guide their lives! Why go against a potential ally, Jin? Side with the Black Mage, and your goals will be accomplished!"  
"You have been twisted by the Black Mage," the Dark Lord sighed. "Wen, you must not fall to his side. Wake up, you fool! Realise that the Black Mage is but fooling you!"  
Wen smiled as he shook his head. "Then I guess there's no way to persuade you. Attack, my comrades!"

His 'comrades' all had red, lifeless eyes, similar to those rogue Bandits and Assassins. While battle raged around them, Night Lord Wen engaged in battle with the Dark Lord himself.

Jin sent four throwing stars flying toward Wen. Instead of attempting to dodge, Wen simply stood there, absorbing the damage. Smoke covered the immediate area as the stars slammed into Wen.

"You think the Black Mage would send me to fight the great Dark Lord without assistance?" Wen said as the smoke cleared. A dark-coloured sphere now encased him, the same one which had protected him from the Quad Star attack.

Wen retaliated by throwing an Ilbi at the Dark Lord. At first it was just an ordinary Ilbi throwing star, but as it got nearer to its target, a dark purplish aura glowed around the outline of the star.

"Argh!" Jin groaned, moving back a few steps. "Not bad, Wen. The Black Mage has certainly provided you with assistance."

In the next moment, a smokescreen appeared around the Dark Lord and he vanished. "Meso Explosion!" a voice yelled and mesos began flying everywhere, bringing down Wen's shield. He was unable to pinpoint where the voice, Jin's, was originating from.

Suddenly, Wen felt himself being hit six times in very quick succession, a move known as Savage Blow. Before he could strike back the Dark Lord disappeared again.

Raising both his hands, Wen brought down lightning from above. Each lightning strike caused a small crater in the ground or rooftop, depending on where it landed. The lightning was also not the usual light blue, but in a very dark shade of purple.

One of the lightning bolts caught Jin, causing him to fly out of his hiding spot and land painfully on the ground. Getting up, the Dark Lord adjusted his clothing and said, "You are a worthy adversary and ally, Wen. A terrible pity you'll not be around for much longer."

With a few swift and nimble hand movements, the Dark Lord summoned his personal throwing star. It was slightly larger than himself, and was a sight to behold. Almost immediately, Wen felt like he was struck by lightning, though not as badly injured as Jin.

"I'm sure you know that my throwing star reflects enemy damage. That's what it just did," Jin explained. "Now it's time to get to work."

With a speed unusual for its size, the throwing star rushed at Wen. It slammed straight into Wen, sending him flying into the air and bleeding profusely.

"Your treachery was unneeded, Wen," Jin said before the dying Night Lord. "You had so much promise, so much potential. Yet you used it for this…this foolish cause. May your judgement be better in your next life."

Despite his betrayal, Night Lord Wen was given a full-honour burial rite by the Thieves. The Dark Lord himself stood at the front of the procession as it made its way through Kerning City.

Soon after the event, the events of those few days became just another memory in the colourful lives of the Thieves. Night Lord Wen was mostly forgotten and work was resumed.

Precisely one month after Wen's death, a man clad in black visited his grave. His face shape was a mix of a rectangle and triangle, and was floating not walking around. Raising his staff, the man, Arkarium, reversed time around Wen's body, at the same time raising it out of the ground.

"Your work is not done here, Wen," Arkarium said. "Return from death and continue to serve the Black Mage!"


End file.
